No, Tucker Carlson didn't launch a new show on Russian TV. Clips used without OK | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Tucker Carlson is launching a new show on Russian state television

A May 21 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a photo of former Fox News host and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson.

"Breaking: Tucker Carlson launches a show on Russian television," reads a screenshot of a post from X, formerly Twitter, included in the post. “This is not a joke or a parody. Tucker Carlson is LITERALLY a paid Putin propagandist.”

The Instagram post was liked more than 3,000 times in two days.

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Our rating: False

Carlson and Tucker Carlson Network staffers have stated they did not partner with Russia to launch a new show. A state-run television station in the country has been airing past episodes of Carlson’s online show without permission, Carlson's team said.

Carlson's show rebroadcasted in Russia

According to the Financial Times, the state-run network Russia 24 began airing portions of Carlson’s show, which is streamed online, in September 2023. The station calls the show "TUCKER. Rossiya 24," or, in English, "TUCKER. Russia 24." Clips on the show have been dubbed in Russian.

However, that news was misconstrued and led to claims that Carlson and his network had partnered with Russia to create a new show. Dean Thompson, head of programming and production operations at Tucker Carlson Network, told USA TODAY the claim was “totally false.”

“Any use of our content by that channel is without legal permission,” Thompson said.

Neil Patel, CEO of the Tucker Carlson Network, also weighed in on the claim with a May 21 X post.

“The Tucker Carlson Network has not done any deals with state media in any country,” he wrote.

In a statement to the Financial Times in September 2023, Carlson called the concept of a Russian partnership “completely absurd."

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While the claim is false, Carlson is popular in Russia. The pundit has long expressed support of the nation during its war with Ukraine and interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2024.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tucker Carlson did not launch show on Russian television | Fact check